Red Hook Star-Revue, May 2023

by Brian Abate

Gaming is a specialty at Red Hook charter school

by Nathan Weiser

Editor & PublishEr

George Fiala

NEws Nathan Weiser

Brian Abate

Katherine Rivard

FEaturEs Erin DeGregorio

CulturE Roderick Thomas

ovErsEas maN Dario Muccilli

iNsights

Joe Enright

roCk Kurt Gottschalk

Jazz George Grella

Film Dante A. Ciampaglia

books Michael Quinn

CartooNs Marc Jackson

Sophie Furman

wEbmastEr Tariq Manon

kids Editor Marie Hueston

dEsigN George Fiala

ads

Liz Galvin

Merry Band of Contributors

Michael Cobb

Michael Fiorito

Jack Grace

Nino Pantano

FOR EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING OR EMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES,

email gbrook@pipeline.com

Founded June 2010 by

Summit Academy is a trailblazer as it is the first school in New York City to offer a fully equipped and operational gaming lab for middle and high school students.

The Esports Innovation Lab is a result of the joint vision and partnership of Summit’s leadership team and the Center for Educational Innovation’s (CEI) Esports Division.

At Summit, students can earn elective credits toward graduation through an Esports class. There are also after school sessions for fun and competition.

They sponsored three after-school Esports tournaments in April. The first was an NBA 2K tournamen, the second a FIFA tournament and the third a Super Smash Bros tournament.

“We are partners, intent on helping this beautiful little school be as successful as possible,” said Lousi Cuglietto, a CEI consultant. “We have been methodically developing this program over the course of the past year.”

The lab was functional last summer for Summit’s BOOST program and was completed the start of this school year.

Towards the beginning of the school year improvements were made like adding blackout blinds to the windows to decrease light and adding tables to the room.

“Now we are officially streaming as well,” coach

Joel Lopez said. “During the day, whoever is gaming has the the opportunity to stream live on Twitch or Youtube.”

“The first portion of each class, we are teaching them about Esports and we teach them about careers and potential opportunities for them,” Lopez said. “The second half is when the students get to play.”

In total, Lopez teaches about 45 students. His first two classes have high

schoolers and those include 12-16 students and then the middle school class has 15-20 students.

“The greatest thing about Esports is it fosters community,” Lopez said. They are learning how to work as a team. They are learning how to be learners as well, it’s not just about playing the game and playing with each other Lopez continued.

They get to learn different roles and positions that they can play within the team and game as well as what it means to be part of a team overall.

Their coach thinks this is beneficial for when they go to college.

During the FIFA tournament 16 students came and there was integrated play, which meant that high schoolers got to play with middle schoolers. There were three minute halves so that the tournament would be able to finish during the afternoon.

The students got to choose their teams and the championship was FC Barcelona vs. PSG. Their coach wished everyone good luck at the beginning and congratulated the students for competing. Everyone gave a round of applause at the end for the winner.

Summit’s founder believes that the Innovation Lab will give the scholars access to college programs that offer Esports as a major. The lab can also lead to more work with other schools. Santiago Ramos, a senior, was excited when he found out that Summit was having Esports. Gaming is a recent hobby for him but one he enjoys.

He started to develop a passion for FIFA, his game of choice, during the pandemic. He likes that he can apply his knowledge of the sport and hopes to continue in college.

The tournament consisted of two rounds, then the semifinals and then the finals. Lopez told everyone to “get your tactics right” and had a microphone allowing him to give updates of the matches as they progressed.

Brothers who had a three year age difference competed against each other in the tournament. The younger brother was excited when he pulled off the upset and their coach was proud of how he played.

He was looking forward to the upcoming tournament against Business of Sport School (BOSS). “Business of Sports School is a high school we work with,” Lopez said. “They are top competitors and there is a bit of a rivalry between Summit and BOSS.”

After that competition, the two schools will go to the Microsoft Experience Center for another event. Later on in May, the two schools will have a final match at the Samsung Center, which has a screen similar to one at a movie theater.

“During the day, whoever is gaming has the the opportunity to stream live on Twitch or Youtube.”

The young gamers of the Summit Academy.

The Red Hook Star-Revue is published every month.

George Fiala and Frank Galeano

with thanks to my folks

OPINION: WORDS BY GEORGE

I asked Derek, the UPS guy, what it was like in Belarus. He said it was fine, things were like normal. Then I asked what I was really interested in knowing, what were people saying about the Ukraine. He told me that nobody talks about that, at least in public. Why? Because nobody wants to go to jail, or worse.

people without these kinds of rights. One can only imagine what it's like in North Korea.

Iwas struck by a conversation I had with my friendly UPS driver the other day. I told him that I had just gotten back from a two week vacation overseas, and he told me he just did the same. He had spent a week in Poland and a week in Belarus visiting family.

I've spent most of my life not knowing anything about Belarus. Then, a couple of years ago I was struck by an article that our writer Pio submitted. He wrote, back in October 2020, that we should take notice of what was going on in Belarus, which at that time in the middle of a contested presidential election. Lukashenko, then and still their dictator leader with strong ties to Russia, was accused of fixing the election in his favor. There was a nationwide protest that was violently squashed.

Pio presciently wrote: " Indeed, if we don’t look at the protests with an ideological view, we will see how the whole scenario is a geopolitical matter in a country which is a crossroads in the exact middle of two political blocks: the Russian Federation and the European Union."

In the end, Lukashenko prevailed and his opponent had to flee to Lithuania. Fast forward a couple of years and Lukashenko's friend Vladimir Putin leads Russia in a violent invasion of their neighbor Ukraine.

What he was telling me was what it was like to live in a country with limited freedoms. Living my whole life here, I only knew about that through my parents, who spent the first parts of their lives in Eastern Europe. It's different when your UPS driver tells you about this today. It makes it real. What that brings home to me is how important it is to live in a country with what the French Revolutionaries called "The Universal Rights of Man," published in 1789, and which was echoed in our own Bill of Rights.

One of the things I like to say is that no matter how bad things get here in this country, at least so far nobody from any government agency has asked me to submit this paper for government approval before I print it. I went to Brazil in the late 1970's when there was a military dictatorship. Every publication had to be read by government censors before publication. Here, if I write something stupid, it's you guys that take me to task, not the military police. So when I hear from Derek about the censorship of speech that invades everybody's life in a place that people in his family still lives, it brings home the fact that over 225 years since the Universal Rights of Man were written, these rights are still not available to many people who otherwise live just like us. They have cars, internet, refrigerators and all the rest.

Of course it's not just Belarus. In Russia you get fifteen years in jail for voicing any opinion at all not in line with Putin. China's got over a billion

Cartoon

Here in New York, our rights seem relatively safe. Everybody's seeking justice, whether social or otherwise. Except for what are called 'illegal' aliens, there don't seem to be any political prisoners in our jails. This is not to say that there are not people in our jails unjustly–but these are generally due to the inequalities of an untamed capitalist system, not because of politics. However, even here you can't get too smug. You are starting to see distressing stories in the news about women in states such as Idaho who are losing their basic rights. This is from a recent article in the Guardian:

"A bill that sailed through the state’s house of representatives and advanced in the state senate last week would make it a crime to transport a minor for the purposes of obtaining an abortion without the consent of her parents. The bill creates a new felony crime, so-called “abortion trafficking”, that’s punishable by two to five years in prison.

The bill would criminalize an aunt or grandmother who drives a teenage girl over the border for a legal abortion in Oregon. It would make a felon of the school friend who lends her money for a bus ticket, or the older sister who takes her to the post office to pick up a package with secretly mailed pills. The legislation also contains a provision giving the Idaho attorney general the ability to override the jurisdiction of local prosecutors on this charge – so if a local DA doesn’t want to prosecute those who help scared and desperate teenagers, the state can enforce its sadism anyway."

Then look what happened last month in Tennessee after yet another mass shooting. This from the Associated Press:

"In an extraordinary act of political retaliation, Tennessee Republicans on Thursday expelled two Democratic lawmakers from the state Legislature for their role in a protest calling for more gun control in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in Nashville. A third Democrat was narrowly spared by a one-vote margin.

The split votes drew accusations of racism, with lawmakers ousting Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, who are both Black, while Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, survived the vote on her expulsion. Republican leader-

ship denied that race was a factor, however. The visitors’ gallery exploded in screams and boos following the final vote. After sitting quietly for hours and hushing anyone who cried out during the proceedings, people broke into chants of “Shame!” and “Fascists!”

Banishment is a move the chamber has used only a handful times since the Civil War. Most state legislatures have the power to expel members, but it is generally reserved as a punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct, not used as a weapon against political opponents."

In 1964, I actually wrote on a bedsheet and paraded around Shea Stadium as a participant in the first NY Mets Banner Day celebration. Back in those days, every Sunday was a doubleheader, so they got to do things like that between games.

It's not like I expected to win the best bedsheet, and I forget what I wrote, but I do remember what won, although I didn't quite understand it.

"Extremism in Defense of the Mets is No Vice."

I didn't know, but just a few months before Barry Goldwater had said something similar as he accepted the Republican nomination for president. Just instead of the Mets, it was Liberty. Talking to Derek reminded me how important it is to be diligent about protecting our freedoms. Back in the 1960's a small movement grew huge as people realized that Vietnam was not a just war. We finally quit it, and the world survived.

I'm not sure what I would do if faced with the choice of censorship or jail, but it's something to think about.

Section with Marc and Sophie

How can humans who can do such great things also be so reprehensible?

No plan to add beds

can bring new or gently used baby clothes, baby furniture, strollers, baby bottles, baby food or shoes. People are welcome to bring items for toddlers as well as infants or babies.

ing on a new memorial—“The Many Losses from COVID-19.”

Fitness

at Strong Rope

This spring, dance aerobic fitness classes will be held at Strong Rope Brewery in Red Hook, 185 Van Dyke Street.  Dance It Out! is hosted by dancer and Strong Rope beertender Caitlin Gallagher. The classes will take place Saturday, May 6, and Saturday, June 10, from 10:30 -11:30 am.

The hour-long dance aerobic workout will include a warm-up, a few easy-tolearn dance combinations to get the heart pumping, and a cool-down with lots of stretching. It’s going to be a dance party featuring music throughout the decades—think leotards, leggings, and fun! It’s open to all levels, no previous dance experience is needed. Sneakers are recommended.  Tickets are available through Eventbrite and the class costs $25. For more information, email Dance It Out! instructor Caitlin at caitlin.e.gallagher@ gmail.com.

Recognizing Jews

Congressman Dan Goldman cosponsored a House Resolution recognizing the month of May as Jewish American Heritage Month and encouraging the celebration of the contributions of Jewish Americans to the society and culture of the United States.

“As a proud American Jew and the Representative of one of the largest Jewish populations in a Congressional district in the country, Jewish American Heritage Month is particularly meaningful to me,” Goldman says.

The Resolution acknowledges the contributions of Jewish Americans as well as the decline in knowledge about Jewish history and the Holocaust. The Resolution also acknowledges the increase in antisemitic incidents around the country and urges Congress to protect and celebrate the Jewish people.

Goldman is a member of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism.

The Cobble Hill Emergency Department at the Joseph S. and Diane H. Steinberg Ambulatory Care Center on Atlantic Avenue is now open. It replaces the old LICH emergency room. It includes 27 open treatment beds and bays, including two triage rooms and five negative pressure treatment rooms, two overnight hospital beds, dedicated CT and X-ray imaging services, and bedside tablets to facilitate patient communication, education, and entertainment.

Two overnight hospital beds are available for patients who need a longer than usual period of observation to determine whether they are well enough to be discharged. At this time, there are no plans to add beds.

More parking restrictions

In February, Council Member Alexa Avilés introduced a bill that would create a residential parking permit system in Red Hook and Sunset Park. This law would require fixed fee payments applicable to parking within the neighborhood boundaries of Red Hook and Sunset Park.

The law would require a minimum of 20 percent of all spaces within the designated permit areas to be available to non-residents and provide for short-term parking of at least 90 minutes in duration.

The bill was sent to the Committee of Transportation and Infrastructure for further review.

District Leader Event for Moms

District Leaders Jacqui Painter and Julio Pena are hosting a free community baby shower on May 6 from 1-4 p.m. This event is open to all families who are expecting and is also open to new parents. The event will be held in the gym at PS 15.

“I get a lot of questions about where people can donate their baby items, and obviously babies grow fast” Painter said. “I thought it was a good idea during the month of Mother’s Day to organize everyone to come together and collect any baby items that they can.” People who want to donate items

People can also drop off items before May 6 at The Record Shop, 360 Van Brunt Street, or The Red Hook Senior Center, 120 West 9th Street. They have partnered with many neighborhood organizations and they will have an area for groups to table. They want to make this event the best it can be for Red Hook moms.

Red Hook Art Project (RHAP) is a co-partner and they will have a decorate your own onesie table with fabric and paint for residents to use. Red Hook Initiative will also be bringing helpful resources.

Lactation

At 2:30, the Christopher Rose Community Empowerment Campaign, located at 1404 Brooklyn Avenue, will have a breastfeeding and lactation information session.

They will also have Ancient Song Doula Services. which is a national birth justice organization working to eliminate maternal and infant mortality and morbidity among Black and Latinx people.

Painter said that the city has a lot of resources on baby health and maternal health.

Red Hook does not have a hospital where moms can go, so this can be a helpful resource.

“This is also a way for them to help make a plan for where they are going to go and just bring the information a little bit closer,” Painter added.

Covid Memorial Ceremony

Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than 1.1 million people across the country—including 79,000 in New York—have lost their lives to the virus. Countless others continue to suffer from Long COVID. The mounting toll of death and diminished health has inflicted immeasurable pain, but also brought communities together to provide support and comfort to those suffering the reverberating effects of the virus.

In the memory of those impacted by the pandemic, NAMING THE LOST Memorials (NTLM), City Lore, and The Green-Wood Cemetery are collaborat-

Opening on Wednesday, May 3, it will consist of tributes made by 20 community groups from across New York City. The memorial will hold a prominent place along Green-Wood’s historic wrought-iron fence, near the Main Entrance at Fifth Avenue at 25th Street. There will be a designated area for members of the public to add their own memorial contributions.

Contributors to the memorial, including community partners, artists, and activists, will join on at Green-Wood on Thursday, May 11th from 6-8:30 pm for a dedication and activation ceremony and feature remarks from Councilmember Alexa Avilés.

“Public COVID memorials help remind us that New Yorkers have suffered tremendous loss of life in this pandemic,” Kay Turner, the project’s consultant and an early project organizer. “We have also suffered other losses—loss of time, relationships, jobs, taste and smell. Many of our neighbors are stalled in the debilitating effects of Long COVID. NTLM creates memorials to recognize the many losses from COVID-19.”

Civic Association

The May meeting of the Red Hook Civic Association will be held in the auditorium of PS 15 on Monday, May 15, at 6 pm. According to their flyer, reprinted in this issue, they are still starting. All are invited.

New bar in town

In the works for over two years, Docky's, on the corner of Van Brunt and King Street, celebrated a packed opening, according to accounts on local social media.

How about if someone bought up some of the many empty lots around here and convert them to weekly or monthly parking spots?

Smith street may bid adieu to hopes for a business improvement district

As Dawn Casale, Smith Street Alliance co-chair, briefly opened the meeting, she welcomed everyone who had come out to learn about the Smith Street Business Improvement District (BID) formation process. For nine years, she has been advocating for a BID in the Court/Smith Street area, alongside a small group of other residents and local business owners. So by April 19, 2023, with about 15 attendees showing up to learn more about the proposed BID for Smith Street, her voice seemed tinged with weariness, and perhaps a bit of desperation for people to finally see what she sees—the BID’s potential to make the neighborhood better.

Overflowing trash on Smith

The idea for a BID in the area began almost a decade before the meeting. Casale, who owns One Girl Cookies on Dean Street, between Smith Street and Boerum Place, was commiserating with a friend and fellow business owner about the state of the neighborhood. The two were particularly frustrated by overflowing trash cans, which according to Casale, have only gotten worse over the years. Casale also owns a cookie shop in Dumbo, and so she knew that things did not have to be this way. In Dumbo, Dawn was used to feeling supported by the local BID, which at this point has been around for 16 years. Soon the business owners were attempting to organize their own BID on Court Street and Smith Street, though over the years they faced ups and downs, and ultimately narrowed the scope of the potential BID to Smith Street alone.

NYC has 76 BIDS

According to the NYC Department of Small Business Services, a business improvement district is “a geograph-

by Katherine Rivard

ical area where local stakeholders oversee and fund maintenance, improvement, and promotion of their commercial effort.” They act like organizations, and usually take the form of nonprofits, to administer services to the community via assessment fees, annual fees required of all commercial and residential properties within the BID. They also create a unified voice for the area, making them more effective in working with the city or local electeds than any single business. There are currently 76 BIDs in NYC (23 of which are in Brooklyn), which together invest more than $170 million annually into local economies.

The Smith Street Alliance (SSA) is the local group of residents seeking to create a BID along Smith Street from Pacific Street to 4th Place, or for the more visually minded—from Free People to The Art of Tint. These 16 blocks encompass about 200 businesses. As the SSA sees it, overflowing garbage, graffiti, rats, above average vacancy rates, crime, and lack of support for businesses are all prevalent issues along Smith Street, which could be better addressed by the creation of a BID.

Given that each BID provides slightly different services based on its area’s specific needs, SSA conducted a neighborhood assessments survey. Across 466 responses, sanitation (trash), greening / tree planting, and street sweeping were ranked as top priorities for BID services. Other services included security / public safety, street marketing / public events, advocacy with city government, residential community development, graffiti removal, and holiday lights and decorations.

Fees raised from tenants

SSA is proposing the BID will oper-

ate with a $350,000 budget, that will bump up to $400,000 by the fifth year of its existence. The assessment fees are based on a base per unit fee, differing by property type, plus additional fees based on street frontage and total area of the property. In practice, this looks like approximately $1,555 annually for a 3,000 square foot mixed use property with retail and residential, or about $68 annually for a residential condo. Nonprofits and government properties are exempt from all assessment fees. In the case of the Smith Street BID, commercial properties would be paying 85% of the BID budget.

BIDS have backing

At the April 19th meeting, Saloni Sharma, an SSA steering committee member, presented this background on BIDs and the goal of a Smith Street BID, before Joanna Tallantire, Executive Director of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID, took the stage to testify, very effectively, on the advantages of a BID. Perhaps nothing can be more persuasive to an American audience than a British accent and a bit of conviction, both of which were thoroughly provided by Tallantire as she calmly and deliberately explained all the benefits that the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID has provided its community.

But not everbody in favor

Attendees then had an opportunity to bring up their own questions for the SSA and Tallantire. From here, it became clear that not everyone was sold on the idea of a BID. The audience ranged from a resident worried about noise increasing, to another resident hopeful that trash pick up could be improved; a former Assistant DOT Commissioner who believes that BIDs can be an excellent vehicle for working with the NYC Department of

Transportation, to a former employee of the Manhattan Borough President’s Office who is convinced that BIDs are not always a solution to local problems. Nonetheless, while SSA claims that it wants broad-based community support for the BID, its formation ultimately rests in the hands of property owners.

Difficulties in contacting owners

If SSA receives 51% of property owners in favor of the BID by June 30, they will move forward with submitting a district plan the NYC Department of Small Business Services, followed by a legislative phase to enter the BID into local law. There are 298 properties in the district, 212 of which are commercial/mixed use or vacant lots. SSA have received votes from only 60 properties, despite significant effort to reach them all. They have used the contact information available from public data sources, scoured proprietary data sources like Property Shark, sent six physical mailings to each property owner, and even followed up by email and phone, but the numbers remain low. According to Casale, many of the property owners are almost impossible to pin down, especially those who do not actually live in the area.

Absentee owners may kill it

“Will there be any more public events before June 30?” I asked Casale on the phone a few days after the meeting. No, for now it all comes down to if the SSA finally tracks down the remaining property owners to vote. Despite nine years of trying get Smith Street a voice at the city’s table, the fate of the area likely rests in the hands of people living far away.

THE STAR-REVUE HAS TWO OPENINGS:

1 - DISPLAY ADVERTISING SALESPERSON. The job involves meeting neighborhood store-owners and educate them about the wonderful goodwill they will get by advertising in the local newspaper. Another aspect is to talk to bigger corporations such as hospitals and schools to tell them that this is the perfect place to get their messages across to the people they are serving. You get paid with a percentage of what you sell, which is called a commission. This is a part-time job to supplement your income - you decide on the hours.

2 - WE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO LIVES IN NYC PUBLIC HOUSING, preferably Red Hook or Gowanus, to write about things going on where you live. You do not need any experience. As long as you can put on paper interesting stories that our readers will want to read, you are our person. You don't have to be a great writer to start - see how we edit your stuff and learn from it. This is a free-lance position, meaning part-time.

For both positions call George at 917 652-9128 or email me at gbrook@pipeline.com

Asthma in Red Hook Series, part 4: Vermin

by Brian Abate

There are a lot of different triggers of asthma but among the most common ones here in New York City are pests including rats, mice, and roaches. Unfortunately, they are all over the city, and while they are a problem for all New Yorkers, they are especially detrimental to those who have asthma.

In an attempt to address its rat problem, NYC has implemented a rule which requires residents to put out their trash at a later time. The start time for NYC residents to put out trash has been moved back from 4 PM to 8 PM as of April 1. Residents can put the trash out at 6 PM or later if it is in a container with a secure lid.

On March 14, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s Department of Constituent Services brought the NYC Department of Health’s ‘Rat Academy’ to the Brooklyn Public Library (10 Grand Army Plaza.)

“Until we win the fight for containerization of trash bins on every street in every borough, it’s important that we do everything in our power as residents, as business owners, and as neighbors to contribute to a cleaner and healthier borough,” said Reynoso. “We want to figure out a way to ensure that we do the best possible to address an issue which is getting out of control.”

During a presentation at the event, it was stated by multiple members of the NYC Department of Health that the way to get rid of pests permanently is by taking away their food, their shelter, and their water. However, that’s easier said than done as both rats and roaches are able to reproduce very quickly. Additionally, mice can fit through holes that are just a quarter of an inch in size while roaches are able to squeeze through gaps of just three millimeters. One of the best ways to keep pests out of apartments is by blocking off any possible holes that they can squeeze through but it can be difficult to find them and often involves moving furniture or appliances to fill them.

Try 311 (some have)

One of the key points in the presentation was that residents should call 311 and leave their contact information when they notice a pest problem whether it’s in a building, in a park, or on a street corner. Those giving the presentation said that anyone in attendance dealing with pests could

The Best Slice in Red Hook

speak to them directly after a Q & A period.

There were a lot of frustrated people including one man who said “For years I have been leaving detailed messages with my name. For years I’ve been calling 311 and still, nothing is getting done. I don’t know what more I can do.”

When will NYCHA do something?

The issue seems to be especially common in NYCHA buildings including the Red Hook Houses. Many of the people in attendance live in NYCHA buildings and voiced their frustration over how little has been done about pests in their buildings, with one woman saying “NYCHA doesn’t do shit about it.”

The NYC Health website states, “Property owners are legally required to keep rats out of homes,” and NYCHA buildings are not exempt from that requirement. An exterminator who spoke at the event said that it takes more than just using traps or poison to get to the root

of the problem. He also said that experiments have shown that using things like peppermint oil or spray won’t prevent mice from coming inside apartments. It’s often a long-term commitment, and it takes neighbors, co-workers, and exterminators all being on the same page and working together to get rid of pests.

Ross Joy, director of housing and civil justice at the Red Hook Community Justice Center provided a booklet that he often gives to tenants/landlords who have rats on their property. Step one in the booklet is looking for evidence of rats such as droppings, teeth marks, or footprints. Step two is cleaning up the droppings, getting rid of clutter, and controlling weeds and shrubs.

The next steps are the same ones mentioned during the presentation which include, cutting off their food and water sources, blocking off any holes that can allow them to fit into buildings, and then having professional exterminators use rodent bait to wipe them out.

The issue of pests in NYC is an ongoing and frustrating one but the Justice Center is a great resource. Call Ross to see if they will be continuing their online training classes. More information can be found by looking up ‘Rat Academy’ on the NYC Health website.

"The way to get rid of pests permanently is by taking away their food, their shelter, and their water."

So what was that Ample Hills bailout all about, anyway?

By Brian Abate

Spring has come and the weather is getting warm which means it is now officially ice cream season. While most of the ice cream parlors which were closed for the winter have already re-opened, Ample Hills, which has 12 ice cream parlors, including its factory in Red Hook remains closed indefinitely.

A modest Prospect Heights beginning

Ample Hills was started over ten years ago by a couple who seemed to be following the Ben and Jerry example in opening up a friendly artisan shop on Vanderbilt Avenue.

They excelled in marketing and branding (and making ice cream), and grew the company each year, up to the point that they were able to get multi-million dollar investment funding with which to build their own Red Hook ice cream factory and keep opening new shops all over.

However, that proved to be their downfall, as they couldn't support the new debt and went belly-up.

Growth, then new owners

Ample Hills was then purchased out of bankruptcy court by Schmitt Industries, a publicly trading company (Nasdaq: SMIT) based in Portland, Oregon.

The acquisition “was a bit of a headscratcher given that Schmitt’s core business for years — it was founded in the 1980s in British Columbia and incorporated in Oregon in 1995 — was measuring products for industrial uses,” according to Pete Danko of The Business Journals

But Ample Hills became Schmitt’s dominant revenue generator, and in April 2022 the company said it intended to make ice cream its main focus.

In July of 2022, Schmitt Industries made a big move, announcing a reverse takeover transaction for one of the leading helium and hydrogen production and carbon sequestration hubs in North America. According

to their press release, Schmitt would combine with Proton Green, another measuring company, with the ice cream business split off with ownership retained by the existing Schmitt shareholders.

A press release summarized the transaction as follows:

• Under the merger agreement, Proton Green would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Schmitt

• The Company would be renamed "Proton Green Corporation" and the common stock would continue to trade on the Nasdaq under a new symbol

• The transaction would include a Spin-Off of Schmitt's Ample Hills business to pre-Merger shareholders of Schmitt's common stock

However, just a few months later, Proton Green, based in Houston, cancelled the merger.

Partnering with the Nets

In the meantime back in New York City, the Brooklyn Nets announced they were partnering with Ample Hills on two news flavors called “Home Court Advantage” and “Away Game” to celebrate the team’s tenth year in Brooklyn.

Without understanding the financial manipulations, things looked great for Schmitt Industries and Ample Hills. Ample Hills product was beginning to be distributed in supermarkets, and the branding started by the original owners, a Brooklyn couple, was still working. In a corporate filing, Schmitt referred to their ice cream company as "beloved."

But a look at the numbers told a different story.

“Schmitt lost $893,000 on sales of $1.8 million in the quarter which ended Feb. 2022, according to a securities filing,” wrote Danko. “In annual reports, the company stated losses of $8 million in the fiscal year which ended May 31, 2021, following losses of $1.8 million in 2020 and $1.5 million in 2019. Amid those losses, Schmitt sold off assets, including its Schmitt Dynamic Balance Systems business

line for $10.5 million in late 2019, their Northwest Portland office for $5.1 million in November 2021, and another Northwest Portland property for $3.5 million in July 2022.

Money woes

It seemed that Schmitt, who acquired the bankrupt Ample Hills at a bargain basement price of $1 million including the Red Hook production plant which alone might be worth $4 million, was now using cash flow from Ample Hills to keep itself going. 2021 revenues from ice cream were double those from the measuring business. In their 10K SEC report for fiscal year 2022, Schmitt painted a rosy picture for their ice cream prospects: "The Company sells its ice cream wholesale to a network of resellers, primarily located in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the northeast. The Company is actively expanding its wholesale footprint into other geographic regions. Additionally, customers nationwide can purchase products for home delivery through the Company’s website. These wholesale and e-commerce sales are facilitated through the Company’s Brooklyn, New York production facility and at third party distribution centers located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Reno, Nevada. Additionally, the Company operates a network of retail locations throughout New York, New Jersey and California where customers can purchase the Company’s ice cream and ice cream-related products. In July 2022, the Company opened its twelfth retail ice cream shop, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York. In September 2022, the Company opened its thirteenth retail ice cream shop, located in Long Island City, Queens, New York. The Company has signed leases for future retail shops at Greenwich Village, New York, and Beverly Hills and Pasadena, California."

But in October of 2022, a class action lawsuit was filed against Schmitt Industries by Robbins LLP. According to Business Wire, “Defendants failed to disclose that: (1) Schmitt continuously downplayed its serious issues with internal controls; (2) Schmitt’s financial statements from August 31, 2021, to the present included ‘certain errors;’ and (3) as a result, Schmitt would have to restate its previously filed financial statements for certain periods.

“On September 20, 2022, Schmitt an-

nounced it would restate its financial statements from August 31, 2021, to the present, and expected to report at least one material weakness. Further, the Company’s financial statements from August 31, 2021, through February 28, 2022, should no longer be relied upon due to errors in the treatment of certain general and administrative expenses that were excluded from the statement of operations. On this news, Schmitt’s stock fell 17 percent to close at $3.12 per share on September 21, 2022.” Shortly afterwards the price was 31 cents. This January, Schmitt Industries lost its Nasdaq listing.

“The delisting came after a series of notices from Nasdaq about failure to meet exchange requirements, including timely filing of financial reports,” according to Danko of The Business Journals. “Trading of the stock on Nasdaq was suspended on Jan. 17. “Revenue from the ice cream segment doubled from about $4 million in 2021 to $8 million in 2022. However, operating losses totaled more than $10 million each year.”

The end?

These issues for Schmitt Industries have left Ample Hills in limbo and it's doubtful they will ever spring to life again, at least under present ownership.

All the stores closed right before Christmas, Schmitt calling it a two-week furlough. In fact, they stopped paying their bills, and by the middle of February 14-day rent demands were posted on the locked doors of every store.

As of May 1, the factory remains shut, as if in suspended animation, with a flyer advertising Christmas promotions still on the front door.

We placed a call to the Portland company, and it was returned by Kianna Yokoi, whose Linked-In profile identifies her as an Accounting Specialist who has worked at Schmitt since March 2020.

“I don’t have any new updates on Ample Hills right now,” she told us.

Addabbo Center celebrates its resilience

by Brian Abate

On April 19, New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas announced the start of construction on a $4 million project to implement resiliency measures at the Addabbo Center, in Red Hook at 120 Richards St. The event was held right outside, on a beautiful spring day.

As part of the project, a 100-kW elevated backup power generator will be installed, allowing the center to continue functioning during intense storms. The resiliency measures include elevating the building’s electrical system, elevator machine equipment, and boiler room to an area outside of the floodplain.

The importance of Addabbo

This is especially important as there are not many healthcare facilities in the area so Red Hook residents rely heavily on the Addabbo Center.

“Community health facilities are some of our most vital pieces of infrastructure, especially when major storms hit,” said Visnauskas. “This $4 million investment to enhance pre-

paredness and strengthen resiliency at Red Hook’s Addabbo Family Health Center will ensure that the community has a safe place to gather and can receive essential services both throughout the year as well as during extreme weather.”

After Superstorm Sandy hit Red Hook in 2012, the Addabbo Center was forced to close as there was significant damage to the facility with as much as six feet of water flooding the building. This funding should help prevent a similar situation from happening if another hurricane hits Red Hook.

“After Hurricane Sandy, it took over a week for the Addabbo Center to reopen due to significant damage,” said Council Member Alexa Avilés in a statement. “As Red Hook’s only federally qualified health center for many years, it is long overdue that we finally break ground and move forward with these critical resiliency upgrades.”

Everyone has talked about making Red Hook more resilient in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, and it is nice to see that this project is attempting to do just that. What happened in 2012

should never happen again, even if another hurricane hits the neighborhood.

“Even though years have passed since Superstorm Sandy, everyone around here remembers it and the disastrous effect it had on our community,” said Dr. Miriam Vega, chief executive officer of the Addabbo Center. I know many of you may have been displaced and I was displaced for eight days. The city was resilient, we were resilient, and Addabbo came back one week later because we knew our community needed us.

Health care for everyone

“We provide health care to everyone who needs it regardless of their ability to pay and we work to provide whole-person care. As a result, our infrastructure needs TLC, and we’re very grateful to be getting that TLC today as we strive to make sure our patients get dental, primary care, mental health care, and much more.”

This funding should help ensure that patients continue to get that care at the Addabbo Center regardless of what storms might come our way in the future.

“As a community that faces disproportionate health risks as a result of pollution, natural disasters, and other environmental factors, I am ecstatic to see our state investing in Red Hook’s health and safety,” said Assemblymember Marcela Mitaynes in a statement. “The infrastructure improvements will greatly serve our community and go further to protect those most at risk, including public housing residents. So, I hope everyone will join me in celebrating the exciting start to this project.”

Reklame Health rolls out addiction care for the BIPOC community

ReKlame Health, a NYC based tele psychiatry and addiction medics provider for the BIPOC community, launched their in-home AUD (alcohol use disorder) treatment program in the city.

The program rollout in NYC provides virtual and in-home AUD medicine treatment program. ReKlame sends a nurse to the patient’s home to administer a monthly shot and the same nurse will visit each time to ensure continuity.

Meds can reduce cravings

Naltrexone LAI is the lifesaving medication that eliminates daily alcohol cravings by blocking brain receptors. The ReKlame patients diagnosed with AUD start on Naltrexone, a daily version of LAI, coupled with tele-psychiatry appointments.

Evans Rochaste, the founder and CEO of Reklame Health, was born and raised in Canarsie and was on the basketball team at Erasmus Hall High. He thought a program such as this one was necessary based on his life experiences and what he has seen working in healthcare.

“I was exposed to trauma from a young age and used basketball as a way to cope and get through hard days,” Rochaste said. “In college, I was looking for a therapist and found it

by Nathan Weiser

hard to find a provider that looked like me and a provider who could understand some of my challenges.”

Before starting ReKlame, he worked in healthcare for a decade, primarily in the NYC area at Columbia University hospital at Northwell Health.

Care isn't always equal

He saw firsthand the differences in care between minorities and other groups and the challenges that minorities would face.

During their small scale rollout so far it has been really advantageous for the participants.

ReKlame has partnerships with the major commercial insurance companies like United Health Care, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Signa and Aetna. Residents who are enrolled with these insurance providers will be able to benefit from this program.

The insurance will cover the program including the evaluation with the psychiatric nurse practitioner.

They take Medicaid

Rochaste is familiar with Red Hook and the “mixture of social classes and mixture of insurers.” He is looking forward to potentially having this at home program available to Medicaid patients in the area.

Interested patients in Red Hook or

other parts of the city who are looking for treatment can go to reklamehealth.com or call them at 718-7904511 and details will be provided. The care navigation team is available from 8 am to 8 pm, Monday to Friday. This program works with people from 18 years old to 65 years old. They are either struggling with opioid usage or are in the program looking for a better way to control their symptoms and excess of alcohol usage.

In Brooklyn, Williamsburg has been where the majority of the program’s residents live.

Hybrid care makes it easier

For the evaluation by the board certified psychiatric nurse practitioner, residents who have access to the internet will be able to do this from home over Telehealth. They can do it through video to make it convenient, and this means that the entire care, including monthly visits, will be able to be done from home.

“We know some of the challenges that some residents may have around transportation and trying to coordinate to go to different locations,” Rochaste said. “It makes it as seamless as possible for them.

Rochaste thinks there are benefits of the hybrid model where they work closely with the patients.

“Engagement is critical when treating substance use disorders,” Rochaste said. “By having this collaborative hybrid model, we’re able to have quicker touch-points with the patient, increased patient engagement, and vital increased patient retention.”

“Often if you need services and you are in Red Hook, you find yourself traveling to a different part of the city,” Rochaste said. “The residents can be quite isolated so we want to make sure that we actually bring the care to them so it makes the process much easier. ReKlame Health is having conversations with community groups since they believe it can be a way to raise awareness. They know patients they want to serve are often involved in community groups.

They are now open and available to the entire city and want to have participants in as much of the city as possible so that they can deliver their high quality care to as many residents as they possibly can.

The increased emotional and behavioral issues during the pandemic led to increased alcohol binge drinking to alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Black and brown people seeking AUD care face roadblocks in accessing behavioral healthcare. The roadblocks include cultural stigma and high outof-pocket costs.

Pop-up Museum of Failure is All the Hype in Industry City

by Erin DeGregorio

Have you ever done something so bad that you may have regretted it and wished people would forget it and never mention it again? Well, imagine your biggest flops and failures on display for all the world to see, literally.

The Museum of Failure—a collection of more than 150 failed inventions, products, and services from the U.S., Europe, and China—has found its temporary home in one of the most creative hubs in Brooklyn: Industry City. Its goals are to stimulate productive discussion about failure and inspire visitors to take meaningful risks in life, according to Dr. Samuel West, founder and curator of the traveling exhibition.

“I fell into this swamp of failure because it became so apparent that failure is one of the absolutely biggest obstacles to innovation for organizations … but I think it’s equally applicable for us as individuals as well,” said West, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in organizational science. “I had already written research articles and had done a bunch of talks, but I was looking for an exciting and interesting way to communicate these ideas.”

Glowing hockey puck

As revealed on WNYC’s “All Of It with Alison Stewart,” West was on a family vacation in Croatia in 2016 when he discovered the Museum of Broken Relationships, which displayed donated items that represented people’s failed relationships. A light bulb went off above his head and he was inspired to apply the same logic to physical commercial failures and the like. After scouring online marketplaces including Craigslist, eBay, and their international equivalents for some of the most recognizable—and unrecognizable—failures in a wide variety of categories (e.g. technology, children’s toys, medicine, and food and drink), West launched the Museum of Failure in Sweden a year later. Some notable examples include the Atari ET game and console (1982-1983), Trump Ice water and steaks (2004 and 2007 respectively), FoxTrax (the glowing hockey puck used for NHL TV

broadcasts between 1996 and 1998), Lululemon yoga pants (2013), oddflavored Oreos, Harley-Davidson cologne (1996-2005), grass skis (1966), and Pepsi Crystal (1992-1993).

Once the exhibition visited countries around the world and made headlines, West began receiving donations to add to his unusual collection. For instance, the NuSpoon, a foldable paper spoon that was ultimately not user-friendly circa 2015, was donated to West by inventor Matthew Brooks and is now on display. “That’s probably the most fun part of the museum for me,” West remarked when reminiscing on his growing collection, which has now amassed more than 200 items.

Defiance of failure

Also on display is the 1987 Trabant 601 S, an East German car that was generously donated by Country Classic Cars in Staunton, Illinois, which has never been shown at previous tour stops. “It was an iconic car from Soviet Bloc East Germany, a horrible piece of shit car in every possible way, but it was still a best-seller … because there were no other cars to buy [at the time],” he explained. “So, we have it in the museum as a defiance of failure. In any other context, it would be an absolute flop, but because there was no other competition for cars, it was a bestseller.” So how does a product become part of the museum? West broke down the criteria for the Star-Revue: 1–if it’s a consumer product (like many of the items currently on display), the item failed commercially by not generating any profits and becoming discontinued; 2–the product was innovative, but deviated from its desired outcome; and 3–it has to be interesting to West, which is completely subjective. One of West’s personal favorites that is on display, for instance, is Kodak’s digital camera. Though the everyday visitor might not consider the technology an “exciting item per se,” West finds its backstory both complex and interesting. “Kodak was innovative technology-wise, but wasn’t so innovative in its business model because they insisted on making their money from printing photos. They didn’t understand the current trends or, if they understood it, they refused to change

ly beat that,” West said. “The weekends are packed, and I think New Yorkers have that dark, cynical sense of humor, which just fits perfectly with the Museum of Failure.” West added: “I want people to understand and appreciate that failure is necessary for any kind of success and progress—whether it’s biological evolution, technology, relationships, or any aspect of life. If you’re not exploring and experi menting, or thinking about or talk ing about our own failures because it feels uncomfortable, then you’re not learning from those failures and making any progress. Lastly, visitors of the museum have taught me that they feel liberated when they see these multinational, rich, competent companies fail when they try new things. They say it feels like they can take some kind of risks as well as individuals.”

In Sunset Park until June 18

Due to its immense popularity, the Museum of Failure has extended its run in Sunset Park (800 Third Avenue) until June 18 before moving onto its next location, which is still under wraps for now. Visit museumoffailure.com for more information and to buy tickets. And if you have a suggestion of a failed product or an actual failed product that should be on display, the museum would love to hear

and they died instantly,” West said. “Kodak was the Google of yesteryear. They were the best at everything and, yet, they still failed.”

With more than 150 items on display, West believes there is something for everybody that will pique their interest. “When the Museum of Failure first opened in the States [Los Angeles in December 2017], it was a crazy success. But I think, in some weird way, the Brooklyn exhibition might actual-

from you. Contact info@museumoffailure.com

"Its goals are to stimulate productive discussion about failure and inspire visitors to take meaningful risks in life."

Farewell, Brother

by Joe Enright

My brother Jerry, who’d been battling Parkinson’s for the past six years, died last week at the age of 84. He leaves no heirs, no inheritance, no smartphone, and no debts. He lived and worked his entire life in Brooklyn, but there will be no street dedications in his honor. A proud member of Teamster’s Local 237, a weekly contributor to Our Lady of Angels’ electronic collection basket, and a devoted follower of the Mets and Jets, he was just an ordinary guy. Unlucky in love perhaps (long-divorced), but respectful of the ladies in his life. Working for Con Ed in 1982, he suffered severe injuries in a gas explosion. Recovering at the NYU Burn Center with some firefighters there, he gained a deep appreciation for their sacrifice and heroism. Before his mobility became problematic, he would often drop by the firehouse on Lorraine Street (Engine 279/Ladder 131), just west of Hamilton Avenue, to chat.

Turning lemons into lemonade

Despite the hard knocks he took in life, Jerry always looked at the bright side of things, and so he claimed the treatment for his injuries cured his fierce stutter. When he was forced to use a walker, he got the plain vanilla Medicare Model but another Parkinson’s patient told him about a hightech model that “will talk to you like

a smartphone,” so he cut back on food to save money and set his sights on “walking and talking in style.” But a series of falls led to a wheelchair –and new dreams of turbo-charging it. He attributed the positive outlook to his formative years as a Brooklyn Dodger fan. He had just turned 13 when Bobby Thomson’s “shot heard ’round the world” crushed the soul of Flatbush on October 3, 1951, as the New York Giants came back from nowhere land in August to defeat Brooklyn in their last licks of the decisive playoff game. Rather than dwell on the disappointment, Jerry remembered in exquisite detail the last weekend of that season when the Giants traveled to Boston to play the Braves and the Dodgers took a train to Philly. It was the third season in a row in which the Dodgers would end the season playing the Phillies, and all three times, the pennant hung in the balance: in 1949, the Dodgers won the last game to capture the flag; in 1950 the Whiz Kids triumphed and in 1951...well, it was probably Jackie Robinson’s greatest game. But there are no kinescopes, so it’s been lost to history. Unless you saved the press clips like Jerry. Being an outcast as a kid (shipped off to Special Ed because of the stutter, his dyslexia never diagnosed, expelled from schools), he identified with Robinson. Jackie, playing second base, hit into a double play in the 1st, let Richie Ashburn’s roller squirt out of his glove in the 2nd inning, leading to two Philly runs, then struck out in the 4th. Entering the top of the 5th, the Dodgers

were down, 6-2. Then Jackie tripled to spark a rally, reducing the lead to 6-5. But the Phils scored two more runs to go up 8-5. In the 8th, Rube Walker and Carl Furillo knocked in three runs to tie it as the scoreboard showed the Giants beat the Braves, 3-2. It was win or go home for the Dodgers.

Robinson wins it

In the bottom of the 13th, the Phils loaded the bases with two outs. Eddie Waitkus hit a wicked line drive up the middle, low to the ground, just to the right of 2nd base. Robinson threw his body toward the ball, but it spun back toward him and he had to contort his body, with his glove moving back toward his stomach in order to catch it. He did. But he rolled over in pain, tossing the ball to Pee Wee Reese to show he caught it. Robinson just laid there for minutes, the wind knocked out of him and he was helped off the field. In the top of the 14th, nauseous and short of breath, he hit a rope into the left-field stands. The Phils got a runner to second in the bottom half but didn’t score and the Dodgers mobbed Robinson.

When Bobby Thomson ended the Dodgers season three days later, Robinson’s teammates trudged off the field but not Jackie—he watched Thomson intently, making sure he touched every base. Jackie Robinson’s never-say-die attitude always dominated Jerry’s memory of 1951. I’m disappointed he won’t get to see Pete Alonso in a World Series or watch the Aaron Rodgers Saga play out for the

Jets. But perhaps the Big Scorekeeper in the Sky decided Jerry had suffered enough.

Generous soul

Jerry never had much money, but he had a generous soul. He spent hours helping me tune up the old clunkers I would foolishly buy. At Christmas, he would always send big boxes of Omaha Steaks to family members and whenever I dropped by his small apartment to fix his computer, I’d find some bills stuffed in my pocket on the way home despite my best efforts to thwart his secret payoffs. My mother brought nine children into this world. Jerry becomes the sixth to join her. Heaven should be a bit more cheerful now.

Am I still plagued by the plague?

Three years ago the whole world was hit hard by the Covid-19. I still remember, like most of us, being locked at home, doing online learning, preparing I don’t know how much bread and pizza (sounds Italian, eh?) and seeing the outside from the little apartment where I lived with my family.

In that period, April 2020, I started writing for the Star-Revue. My first article ever was about being stuck in the country that was suffering the most worldwide, Italy. I still remember the headline in the front page: “The real worry is not the virus, but its potential legacy upon our freedom and our society.”

I thought about that a lot before writing this article, as for two days, after receiving the news of a positive COVID contact, I’ve been waiting for the mandatory 48 hours to take a test.

Having COVID in 2023 is striking. Right now I’m in France, and soon after knowing I was exposed, I checked the French government rules in case of a positive test or a close contact. The rules today do not stipulate quarantine, registration or even social distancing, which is relegated to a recommendation rather than a rule.

I felt disoriented, having no rules, being back to individual freedom, being even able to harm people with the transmission of a virus that a few

by Dario Pio Muccilli, Star-Revue EU correspondant

years before had killed thousands of people.

Of course, we’re now vaccinated, herd immunity has been achieved and potentially, for most of us, COVID today is not much different than a flu. The problems seem to be different from that little invisible being that has haunted our lives for two years.

We sacrificed

But in a way this pestilence has also carried good stuff, a kind of unanticipated consequence of the pandemic.

I remember the national flags and the anthem sang through the streets, the drawn rainbows on the windows with the writing “everything will be okay”. We were a community back then, we cared for the health of our loved-ones. My generation (I’m 20) sacrificed its freedom for our grandparents: It was the highest solidarity I’ve ever seen since I was born, a memory I will preserve forever, something I will tell to my possible children.

Now things have changed, we are back to our pre-Covid society. The nurse I interviewed back in April 2020 still works in the hospital, the high school teacher teaches in the same school, only the girlfriend I then mentioned seems to have changed something insince that article. I’ve started doubting what I’ve written, “the potential legacy”, because I don’t see it. Maybe

it’s too early. It could be that inside of us we’re still so traumatized that we cannot see the elephant in our room. But I’m still pretty sure it will come. Eventually, I tested negative, and Co vid passed away with my only regret the 25 fewer euros in my wallet for the swab I hoped in a way might have giv en a different result. Just to stay a lit

tle bit with myself, to experience that freedom to stop, that during those days was a duty, but right now could be maybe a gift for many, or for me. But no, we’ve no more the right to do so, life goes on and this article right now may seems just the delirium of a patient affected by Stockholm syn-

Jerry

Art springs into action at BWAC

The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) presents four new art exhibitions for spring 2023: Recycle; Beyond Mud: Ceramics in 2023; What’s New and Fired Up!, from Saturday, May 13 to Sunday, June 18, 2023. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, May 13 from 1 to 6 pm. The gallery is open weekends from 1 to 6 pm, and is located at 481 Van Brunt Street on the Red Hook waterfront in Brooklyn.

Recycle

A national juried exhibition, Recycle reminds that artists are also involved in the movement to reduce, reuse and recycle. The artists selected for this exhibition are presenting work that is sustainable, making a positive impact on the environment while creating something beautiful. All the materials used in making the art is “upcycled,” being composed of discarded materials, excess inventory or found objects. You’ll be amazed at how the artists have combined these materials for their own expressions!

Recycle is making its seventh appearance at BWAC. The returning juror is John Cloud Kaiser, the Director of Education at Materials for the Arts (MFTA), one of the largest reuse centers in the U.S. and a program of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Kaiser has promoted and advanced the exhibition of repurposed materials in

art museums, streets, and schools in New York City since 2000 through his work with his art group, Free Style Arts Association, and as Director of MFTA Gallery. His works have appeared in many museums and public art settings including PS1 MoMA, the NYC Parks Dept., and The New York Times. The show curator is Renee Radenberg.

Beyond Mud: Ceramics in 2023

Enter any of the world’s finest museums and you’ll quickly see that the lines separating craft and art are continuing to disappear. Beyond Mud: Ceramics in 2023 addresses the myriad of ways that clay is used as a three-dimensional art expression. The juror of this national exhibition was Talia Shiroma, Curatorial Assistant, Arts of the Americas and Europe at the Brooklyn Museum. The show curator is Sandra Forrest.

BWAC is pleased to announce that the exhibition will be a stop on the Brooklyn Ceramic Arts Tour, May 19- 21, 2023. Brooklyn Ceramics Arts Tour is a weekend long celebration of all things clay. It will be comprised of local artists, studios, galleries, and businesses across the borough, opening their doors to the public for a variety of exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations, artist talks, and ceramic sales. For more information and a link to the tour map, visit bwac.org.

What’s New

Not a question, but a statement, What’s New presents the current work of BWAC members. This exhibition chronicles our first impressions of a

post-pandemic world through an artistic lens. For some of the artists, the past few years have opened up new horizons of exploration and discovery of media and form. For others, the times reinforced and focused their artistic vision with a renewed commitment to their discipline. Together, these artists present a fresh take on what is new, fresh, and alive.

Fired Up!

A special exhibit coinciding with the Brooklyn Ceramic Arts Tour, Fired Up! is an exemplary selection of ceramic art by BWAC members who work in clay. See sculptural forms as well as wall hanging and bas relief ceramic expressions.

BWAC is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 6 pm. The gallery is located at 481 Van Brunt Street, in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Take the B61 bus to Van Brunt Street, or the ferry from Manhattan to the Red Hook station.

About BWAC

The Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) is an artist-run organization and an incorporated 501(c)3 nonprofit, operating the BWAC Gallery. For 45 years, BWAC has been exhibiting the artwork of local and national artists with seasonal exhibits that include national juried and local member shows. These exhibitions present a wide variety of contemporary visual arts from the traditional to the experimental cutting edge. The gallery is housed in a massive Civil War-era warehouse on the Red Hook waterfront.

From: RECYCLE

Brian Brenno, Yellow Cab Kate Rusek, Eloise Hooper, Is This Enough?

Riding the Blind, Maggie Judith

Brooklyn's own private Woodstock

In the early 1990s, I was living in what I considered a boring neighborhood, on East 19th Street and Avenue O near Kings Highway. There were few other single people living nearby on their own, and I found little to interest me other than Highway Bagels and Adelman’s Deli. But one summer, I saw a flyer attached to a telephone pole for a one-day “Brooklyn Woodstock” mini-rock festival, also on East 19th Street but much further north, between Glenwood and Foster avenues. When the day came, I found myself walking through a neighborhood of spacious Victorian houses. As I came closer, the sound of live rock music grew louder. I entered what looked like a huge back yard and squeezed into an extremely crowded field of people siting on the grass or on lawn chairs, drinking soda, eating food and listening to a succession of indie-rock bands around 9 p.m.

Brooklyn Woodstock, conceived as a fundraiser for AIDS research, began in 1988 and continued each year until around 1994. It was publicized in the Village Voice, the New York Press and elsewhere. However, unlike its Upstate namesake, it’s largely been forgotten – partially because it was a strictly local affair, partially because it happened before the age of the internet.

by Raanan Geberer

The yearly mini-festival was the brainchild of Gil Shuster, whose family lived in the house and whose brother Jonathan had died of AIDS. Shuster was the bass player CK for Kenny Young and the Eggplants, an alternative folk-rock band that performed songs like “Attack of the Manic Librarian,” “Mommy is a Lawyer” and “Savage Eggplant” and often played the legendary Windsor Terrace rock club Lauterbach’s. He also was a sound engineer for WFMU, the epicenter for New York area’s indie-rock scene in those days.

While he met some of the bands that played Brooklyn Woodstock through WFMU, he says that he encountered, and recruited, most of them at live shows he went to. “Everyone I asked said, `sure,’” he remembers.

At the time, Shuster adds, “Brooklyn wasn’t the hip, trendy place it is now, and none of the hipsters were living in Bushwick.” The East Village was the epicenter of hip, and Shuster says most of the members of the bands that played at Brooklyn Woodstock probably lived there. Indeed, most of the audience members came from Manhattan, although some definitely came from Brooklyn, including people Shuster grew up with in the borough and “everyone on the block.” When Yo La Tengo, the most popular group to play the festival, was slated to perform, suddenly 40 people or so would show up, and you knew that the subway from Manhattan had recently pulled into the station, he recalls. George Rush, a Brooklyn musician who played bass with the Losers Lounge in the ‘90s, remembers what it was like to attend the festival.

“I went to see Brooklyn Woodstock, it might have been the summer of 1993, the year I moved to the city. I found out about it through a musician friend of mine, and I knew it was an AIDS fundraiser.

Arto Lindsay, a well-known member of the Knitting Factory scene, was playing solo, and he was kind of

a big deal. Yo La Tengo was also playing when I first went out there. I lived in pre-gentrified Cobble Hill/ Carroll Gardens, and when I first went out there, I said, `Where the hell is this place?’ I was in the audience star-struck, and a few years later, I was friends with some of those guys.” Rush, who now lives in Flatbush himself, also remembers that the following year. WFMU broadcast the event. Indeed, many people who didn’t live in the neighborhood were totally unaware of Victorian Flatbush, and were surprised by its small town-like charm. “I rode my park there from Hell’s Kitchen,” recalls illustrator

and cartoonist George Kendall, posting on Facebook’s Ditmas Park group. “I took Flatbush Avenue the whole way. When I finally turned off Flatbush near

"When Yo La Tengo, the most popular group to play the festival, was slated to perform, suddenly 40 people or so would show up, and you knew that the subway from Manhattan had recently pulled into the station."

Woodstock.

Kenny Young of the Eggplants, left, with Lenny Kaye of the Patti Smith band perrform on the front porch.

Gil’s place, I thought I had accidentally ended up somewhere upstate.”

Landing Yo La Tengo, which has released 17 albums since 1986 and has been called a “quintessential critics’ band,” was definitely a major coup for Shuster. Another popular group that played at Brooklyn Woodstock was King Missile, whom I saw singing their zany underground hit, ‘Detachable Penis.”

The porch is the stage

Chris Xefos of the group says that although his memory is somewhat hazy, he and another member of the group, John S. Hall, played the festival as a duo in 1990, but then may have played there with the full band, probably in 1992. “I do have a vague recollection of trying to get the full band up on the Victorian backyard porch,” he wrote in a Facebook message. Among the other groups and artists that played the festival were Babe the Blue Ox (which later released two albums on the major label RCA); singer-songwriter Freedy (SIC) Johnston; Elliot Smith, who Shuster called “a big downtown name at the time”;

the band Antietam, named after the Civil War battle; and the all-female band the Aquanettas. Of course, Kenny Young and the Eggplants played, too. Proceeds from Brooklyn Woodstock, depending on the year, went to amfAR (American Federation for AIDS Research) or New England Deaconness Hospital in Boston, where Shuster’s brother had been treated. Sometimes, the proceeds were split between the two. One year, the proceeds were split between AIDS and breast cancer research to honor Wendy Geffen, a friend of one of the bands who died fairly young as a result of breast cancer. “We didn’t make any money from the concert,” Shuster said, although he sold Brooklyn Woodstock T-shirts and there was a $10 admission. He provided watermelon, beer and soft drinks to spectators for free.

Brooklyn Woodstock probably received its greatest

fame on July 5, 1990, when the Daily News published a full-page article on the festival. Several of the bands’ members said it was their favorite gig of the year. Still, the yearly outdoor festival eventually ended, with the amount of work, energy and time involved in putting it on being the deciding factors.

Today, Shuster is still a sound engineer, still lives in the house, and still performs with Kenny Young and the Eggplants. They play the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland every year and have been on the BBC While in the UK, they’ve been interviewed by, and performed on BBC radio programs “a bunch of times.” “That and five dollars will get you a slice of pizza, but it’s still a thrill to be walking into the building when Jeff Beck is walking out. All in all, he says, “We’re still fighting the good fight.”

Rose and Tim from the band Babe the Blue Ox performing at Brooklyn Woodstock.

Gil Shuster’s parents collect $10 contributions and enjoy the scene at Brooklyn Woodstock. All photos and memorabilia courtesy of Gil Shuster.

The festival get famous in the Daily News, July 1990.

REstaurant/bar

Serving dinner, drinks, and weekend brunch!

Serving dinner, drinks, and weekend brunch!

LET’S PARTY!

REstaurant/bar

LET’S PARTY!

MARDI GRAS NEW YEAR’S EVE & NEW YEAR’S DAY NEW ORLEANS BRUNCH!

GENERAL STORE

This holiday season, send your friends a little taste of Red Hook — order a FORT DEFIANCE CARE PACKAGE! Available on our website.

This holiday season, send your friends a little taste of Red Hook — order a FORT DEFIANCE CARE PACKAGE! Available on our website.

GENERAL STORE

and weekend brunch!

LET’S PARTY!

Serving dinner, drinks, and weekend brunch!

MARDI GRAS NEW YEAR’S EVE & NEW YEAR’S DAY NEW ORLEANS BRUNCH!

Grab-and-go foods

This holiday season, send your friends a little taste of Red Hook — order a FORT DEFIANCE CARE PACKAGE!

Grab-and-go foods

Sandwiches, soups, & salads

Sandwiches, soups, & salads

MARDI GRAS NEW YEAR’S EVE & NEW YEAR’S DAY NEW ORLEANS BRUNCH!

Available on our website.

The BEST rotisserie chicken

The BEST rotisserie chicken

Open for dinner Weds–Sun and brunch Sat–Sun Daily 10am – 7pm

Open for dinner Weds–Sun and brunch Sat–Sun Daily 10am – 7pm

LET’S PARTY!

MARDI GRAS NEW YEAR’S EVE & NEW YEAR’S DAY NEW ORLEANS BRUNCH!

FortDefianceBrooklyn.com

Grab-and-go foods

Sandwiches, soups, & salads

This holiday season, send your friends little taste of Red Hook — order a FORT DEFIANCE CARE PACKAGE! Available on our website.

FortDefianceBrooklyn.com

The BEST rotisserie chicken

Open for dinner Weds–Sun and brunch Sat–Sun Daily 10am – 7pm

Grab-and-go foods

Sandwiches, soups, & salads

FortDefianceBrooklyn.com

The BEST rotisserie chicken

Open for dinner Weds–Sun and brunch Sat–Sun Daily 10am – 7pm

FortDefianceBrooklyn.com

KEG & LANTERN BREWERY

Full-length Benefits. There were some among the first generation of punk who decried the Sex Pistols for being so bourgeoisie as to put out an LP. Singles were punk: short, cheap and disposable. Albums were the domain of bloated acts like Van der Graaf, Stills & Palmer or whatever. A Pistols long-player would have happened sooner or later, of course. It’s the way of all corporate things, and it doesn’t actually make much of a difference anyway. It’s the music that matters. But I admit nevertheless to having felt the same way about Britain’s Benefits, who’ve been releasing tracks one at a time via Bandcamp and YouTube since 2019. Their first album came out April 21 (LP, CD, download on Invada) to rounds of acclaim as deserved as they were unexpected. NME, The Quietus and Rolling Stone have all been eating it up, another thing that would have spoken to first-gen punks as pompous and privilege. But really, it’s not Benefits fault they’re so good. Nails is vital and visceral, brutal and contemporary. Their sound is huge and their vitriol not just theatrical.

Vocalist Kingsley Hall switches between screams of absolute fury and impassioned poetic oratory that fits in with the talkcore trend (cf. Dry Cleaning, Fontaines D.C., Gilla Band, Yard Act). Behind him is a three-piece machine that can pull off electro grind, thick ambient and punishing rhythms. They seem recently to have dropped guitars entirely from their setup, going with drums and electronics, but that in no way softens their blows.

On “Traitors,” one of the earlier singles included on the album, Hall imparts over a tense drone “Rule Britannia playing on the radio twenty-four hours a day / Union flags hung in every street / Spitfires fly past, homeless pile up, no one gives a fuck / We get the future you deserve.” Johnny Rotten famously, menacingly, claimed that the Pistols were “the future, your future,” on their “God Save the Queen.” Almost a half century later, Benefits are left to clean up the mess, or at least live in it.

And while we’re being incendiary, Toronto’s Fucked Up have issued Cops,

a digital-only three-track EP of oldschool short and fast cuts. Like Benefits, they whip up genuine ire on the two original cuts, and then drop in a bashing, 98-second Orbital cover. Twenty-two years in and they can still swing the unexpected.

to cease operations on their Facebook page at the end of March, in anticipation it seems of their new and now final album. “Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd we’re donezo. It was a great run, it was great fun,” ran the whole of the announcement.

Ghösh stories. Also graduating from the singles format is the duo-with-afull-band-sound Ghösh. Following a string of digi-singles (not to mention opening for My Chemical Romance at UBS Arena last summer), their five-track EP PRISSMASSIVE comes out May 26 from Ramp Local with a cassette edition that includes eight older tracks.

Vocalist Symphony Spell met future bandmate Zach Fairbrother while working in a Philadelphia pizzeria, where the two bonded over a shared love for nu metal bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit. Fortunately, they saw past that commonality. Alt-90’s is there in the mix, but so are rap, funk, drum’n’bass and a healthy bit of not taking themselves too seriously, all amalgamated into what they call “nü jungle US grime phonk.” The best of the new set is lead single “Devil Lady” (look for the video), a slap back at Spell’s Baptist upbringing but also a raver full of female swagger

Indeed, it was quite a ride for the band, four albums as Stella before adding the “Research Committee” and issuing A Proposed Method for Determining Sanding Fitness in 2021. That was their first great record and now Killed Alive (selfreleased cassette and download out May 12) is their second and last. The guitar / synth / drum trio has echoes of Downtown legends DNA with Arto Lindsay and Ikue Mori (documented on the 1978 Brian Eno–produced compilation No New York), but with a fiercer edge. The 13 tracks on the new album seem held together by a tension between exploding and falling apart. Jagged guitar riffs, off kilter rhythms, and deep bass undercurrents vibrate restlessly against Kevin Hall’s desperate pronouncements about consumerism and paranoia. It’s a fantastic fright. The album’s closer and seemingly the band’s final statement, “C-Suite Overhaul,” is seven-and-a-half minutes of overdrive, calling to mind some other NYC punk elders—the great Suicide—with reverb-drenched moans and circuit-blown synths. Killed Alive is a pulsating swan song of discontent.

Fly the Anguished Skies. Lori Goldston might not be a household name, but her cello has been heard on recordings by Earth, Nirvana, The Wedding Present, and many others. She’s also at least half of what makes Ascend Ascend: Janaka Stucky Live In Seattle With Lori Goldston a transcendent listen. The album is, essentially, a reading of Jana Stucky’s extended poem, which could be a sermon in a Kenneth Anger film. The poem itself was published in book form by Jack White’s Third Man Records in 2019. The performance will be released on LP and download by Neurot Recordings on May 12, mixed, and mastered by Mell Dettmer, who has engineered thick, resonant albums for Earth as well as Sunn O))) and Wolves In The Throne Room. Divided into four parts, or four sides of the vinyl issue, the dark meditation stretches to nearly an hour, with Stucky and Goldston performing together on the first and last parts.

The second section is 11 minutes of a cappella pagan plainchant, parting the clouds for the album’s true apex. While its Stucky who sets the tone, Goldston’s nearly 14-minute solo (save for a bit of Stucky sobbing), occupyies the third side of the album, resplendent and harrowing. She begins the section mimicking Stucky’s oratory beautifully before developing it in to her own variations and eventually adding sawtooth distortion to her cello.

It is, to be sure, Stucky’s show, but Goldston’s section is unforgettable, and should send at least a few scrambling through album credits to rediscover where they’ve heard her before.

The end of science. Cincinatti’s Stella Research Committee has sadly—according to reports from, well, them— put an end to their investigations. The neo-no-wave outfit posted its intention

Quinn on Books

The Magic Touch

Once a bookseller at the legendary BookCourt, today Emma Straub has a bookstore of her own — with two locations. Six years ago, she and her husband Michael FuscoStraub opened Books Are Magic on Smith Street in Cobble Hill. Last fall, they opened a second store on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights.

Straub is also a New York Times-bestselling author, having written five novels, three picture books, and one short story collection. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Her father Peter Straub, who died last September, was a bestselling writer of supernatural and horror novels, including “Ghost Story,” “Julia” and, with Stephen King, “The Talisman.”

Straub’s most recent novel, “This Time Tomorrow,” comes out in paperback this month. Its story focuses on a New Yorker named Alice Stern, who is witnessing the decline of her beloved father Leonard. On her fortieth birthday, Alice magically travels back to 1996. Suddenly she’s 16 again, with a new appreciation of her body, her best friend, but especially Leonard, who seems younger than she ever remembered him being. Given a chance to do things over, with implications for both of them, what will Alice do differently?

I met with Straub on an early spring morning at her bookstore’s Smith Street location, while the staff bustled about getting the store ready to open, to talk about “This Time Tomorrow,” her unexpected role as boss, and her favorite things about the neighborhood.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What’s the reaction to “This Time Tomorrow” been like so far?

This book is so personal, even though it’s about time travel. On my book tour, someone always came up to me sobbing. I’ve hugged so many people. I’ve had really meaningful moments with people who’ve lost someone. I didn’t expect that. It’s been lovely. The heart of the book is Alice’s relationship with her father. Your father died a few months after the book came out. How has that changed your relationship to the book?

This book was always about my dad and me. And he loved that. It wasn’t something that I did sneakily. We talked a lot about it. If the book felt important to me before he died, now it feels, like, “Will I ever care about any book I write in my life ever again?” What’s crazy is that when other people open up this book, it’s interchangeable in some way with all my other novels, whereas to me, it feels like its own category—its own species!—because it’s so personal.

As a teenager, Alice feels uncertain about what she wants to do with her life. At 40, “she felt like everyone she knew had already become whatever they were going to become, and she was still waiting.” How has writing this made you reflect on where you are in your own life — what you thought it would be like versus how it’s turned out so far?

I was born in 1980, so I’m part of a group of people who recently turned 40. It’s not by accident or by choice that our lives look so different from our parents’. The landscape is really different.

I always knew I wanted to be a writer. I always knew I wanted to have children. I always knew I’d stay in New York. The bookstore is the biggest surprise. I started working at BookCourt in 2009, and I really wanted to live close to work, so we moved to Columbia Street. Six months later, they announced they were closing. We had just had a new baby. No matter how unhinged it sounds, opening a bookstore seemed easier than moving again. Maybe the bookstore is our midlife crisis—a shared midlife crisis with my husband! I certainly never thought I’d ever be the boss of anything.

At one point, Alice observes, “That was New York, watching every place you’d kissed or cried, every place you loved, turn into something else.” As a lifelong New Yorker, what has been the most painful change to the city?

The mall-ification. New York went from small stores to chain stores to empty stores. Obviously, I care about small businesses. The tiny stores you loved are gone. BookCourt was a very painful loss—for me. It was a good thing for them [owners Henry M. Zook and Mary B. Gannett]. They wanted to retire! But there have been so many losses. Gray’s Papaya on West Fourth. H&H Bagels on Broadway.

But that is how it works in New York. Now that I’ve run this business for the last six years, I understand that if someone operates something for 10, 20, 30 years, that is a success! Places don’t owe it to you to exist forever. Real serious labor goes into it every day. What’s been the most promising change to the city?

I love Brooklyn Bridge Park. I use it every day, and it just gets better and more beautiful. Imagine someone’s never been to Books Are Magic. How would you describe its sensibility?

We are an energetic bookstore. We are vibrant. We are somewhat noisy. We are friendly, I hope. We are bright. We never wanted this to be a sleepy, dusty bookstore with one person sitting on a stool, reading a paperback. Our staff is incredible: so smart, so funny.

DEAR READER: Unfortunately we have run out of room. This great article will be continued next month. However, it will be available in full online by May 10 at www.star-revue.com complete with photos.

Jazz by Grella I Dissent

by George Grella

Every day, there’s a pile of hype in my inbox; this album and/or that event is either groundbreaking, incredible, the perfect response to a cultural moment, one-of-a-kind, (the unfortunate) “genre-fluid,” a best-of-the-year, or some other superlative. That goes with the territory, I’m a music critic and publicity material is trying to get my attention and get me to listen. As someone who writes the occasional press release (contact me for my rates!) I know that this all starts with the eyes, something that keeps you reading and then gets you to the next step of listening. This is a real challenge, because there’s so much music that comes out every week, and it’s impossible to listen to it all, much less sample it all— music takes literal time and there are only so many hours in the day/week/year left over after the basic necessities of living and trying to earn a living (and the life of a freelance writer means that last takes up far more time than for anyone with a comparable staff position).

This is why I scan all this with a sense of humor and gentle skepticism. I do not literally expect any of these new recordings to live up to the hype—some do—and so I listen to them on their own terms. There are some exceptions though. Some records come with such astonishing and hubristic claims that, if I get to listen to them, it’s not just to the music as it is, but to how well it matches that hype. As the Sagan Standard goes, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” (it seems that though Carl Sagan popularized the phrase, it appears to have been born in the early 19th century), and after decades of experience making music and encountering it, I am a very, very tough customer.

Concord Records is selling a new album, London Brew, as “Inspired by Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew,” made by a group “Comprised of a veritable who’s who of some of the most important and innovative musicians of the 21st century.” The producer, Bruce Lampcov, is quoted as saying “This record was inspired by Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, shaped by the trials of a global pandemic, and created with the exceptional talents of London’s finest musicians.”

Okay then. Better known and more prestigious outlets than the humble but excellent paper you hold in your hands supplied plenty of blurbs to the press material (i.e., they had a hand in promoting London Brew). MOJO said, “It’s a kind of jazz—on an ambitious scale, drawing dark beauty from chaos—it would be nice to hear more than twice a century.”; The Wire (which I write for fairly regularly) commented, “The success of London Brew isn’t in trying to emulate the original Brew but in inspiring the players to live up to the concept. The album feels both of the original vintage in its occasional psychedelic trappings and, masterfully, altogether new.”; and the Grey Lady on Manhattan Island declared it a “Genre-hopping experimentation that blurs the lines between rock, jazz and ambient, sometimes within the scope of one song.”

To be fair to the Times, the blurb is accurate description of some of the music (though the rest of the feature article praises the quality of the music) with one glaring and vital exception: “experimentation.” London Brew is a lot of things, most of them middling but, as someone who literally wrote a book on it (Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, Bloomsbury) it is in no way experimental and, because of that, completely opposite

what Bitches Brew is all about. This is not just fanboy grievance; Bitches Brew is a landmark work of musical art that has been both highly praised and, with rare exceptions, misunderstood. London Brew reeks of that misunderstanding.

Bitches Brew, particularly the first LP with “Pharaoh’s Dance” and the title track on opposite sides, is one of the most uncompromising records ever made, a best seller and cultural icon that is far more daring and experimental than almost every bit of self-conscious avant-gardism of the fifty years that followed. Miles went into the studio with some material but no determined outcome, and the musicians who played on those two tracks had no idea what they were making—neither Joe Zawinul nor Bennie Maupin recognized the album when they heard it playing after its release.

Miles and producer Teo Macero made it in a way that had not been done before nor, except for some tracks on some Can albums, since. They had the musicians play fragments, or work through a groove for an extended period, then Macero would take the audio tapes, slice them up with a razor blade and restructure them with tape. Bitches Brew is a quasi-free jazz-rock album that is also a work of studio composition, jazz musique concrète. A one-of-a-kind experiment.

London Brew is nothing like this. It is based in improvisation but there’s nothing experimental about it, the musicians knew what it was they were doing and where they were headed. The lesson they have taken from Bitches Brew is the superficial one for using

studio production techniques, but only through effects processes, like phase shifting on the snare drum and distortion on the electric piano that are sonic clichés attached to different eras of recording technology. The music is not bad, but it’s also not memorable. There are solid grooves, energy, but nothing original or with character, and the production touches are mostly irritating in what seems to be their deliberate pandering to a kind of hip consumerist listener. The best track, “Nu Sha Ni Sha Nu Oss Ra,” is marred by the superfluous and pretentious sound of someone exhaling through their horn, but elsewhere there’s imitation Maupin and a long sample from In a Silent Way that is a highlight (except it wasn’t made by these musicians). The style is based on Miles’ later electric bands, with Michael Henderson on bass. This is Bitches Brew shorn of all jagged edges, funk sexuality, even the blues, bourgeois music for a time when most contemporary jazz is made with a Mercedes-like precision and seems to be meant to appeal to people who can afford a Mercedes.

Decades ago, there use to be a real dividing line between jazz and classical culture, the former seeing the latter as old-fashioned and hidebound, worshipping the past and stuck in the rituals of reanimating it, rather than living in and embracing the present, the energy of the moment, chance, unknown outcomes (not to mention getting high and getting down). Not that jazz hasn’t had issues with its own worship of the past, which is very real and deleterious, but the jazzers were right. Or at least they used to be. Making records like this in 2023, despite the hip reputations of the musicians involved and the nod towards Miles Davis, is no less reactionary than staging La Bohème year after fucking year. Chance are the last thing that jazz seems to want to take these days.

“The success of London Brew isn’t in trying to emulate the original Brew but in inspiring the players to live up to the concept."

The cover for London Brew

Marie's Craft Corner

Turn ribbon scraps into a pretty Mother’s Day craft!

by Marie Hueston

I’m that person who saves ribbons from presents and packaging. Sometimes I reuse them when I’m wrapping gifts for others, and sometimes I use them in crafts. This month, the variety of colors, textures and widths of my ribbon stash inspired a Mother’s Day keychain craft. Follow these directions to make your own! (Please note, if you don’t have enough ribbons to work with, you can purchase ribbon by the yard at a few local art and craft shops like Brooklyn General on Union Street and KC Arts on Court Street.)

What you’ll need. In addition to your ribbons, all you need to make this craft are a pair of scissors and a keychain ring, which can be found in a hardware store or locksmith shop.

Choose your ribbons. Look over the ribbons you have. For each keychain you plan to make, pick three ribbons that look nice together. Maybe the colors you choose complement each other, or maybe the patterns match. Every crafter will be drawn to a different selection of ribbons. If the ribbons are crumpled, press them flat with a cool iron.

Secure the ribbons with a knot that resembles a necktie. Holding all three ribbons together while you’re working, cross one half of the ribbons over the other, loop underneath and up through the loop that created. Then bring the ribbons back in front and tuck the ends into the front loop and tighten like a necktie.

Knot the ends of the ribbons. Tie a small knot at the end of each ribbon to prevent fraying and then re-trim the ends to get clean lines. Your gift is ready!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Share your designs with us! Send pictures of your creations to our editor at gbrook@pipeline.com

Trim the ends of the ribbons to your desired length. There can be a slight variation in the lengths but all should be approximately the same. The ribbons shown here were trimmed to about 5 inches in length.

Thread the ribbons through the ring. To start, pull all three ribbons through the ring and stop at the middle of each ribbon.

June Preview: Start collecting paper towel tubes for a summer kick-off craft!